At that time, the University of South Florida (USF) expressed interest in buying the land and facilities of the college to establish a branch campus there.

[23] The school's unusual academic system was also encoded in statute: "To provide programs of study that allow students to design their educational experience as much as possible in accordance with their individual interests, values, and abilities.

[27] In early 2023, Governor Ron DeSantis overhauled the college's board of trustees, appointing six new members including Christopher Rufo, Matthew Spalding, Charles R. Kesler, Mark Bauerlein, Debra Jenks, and Eddie Speir.

"[11] At its first meeting, on January 31, 2023, the new board fired President Patricia Okker ("without cause") and installed Richard Corcoran, a political associate of the governor, as its interim .

When asked to provide reasons for the decision, interim president Richard Corcoran argued for the denial or delay of tenure due to administrative changes and the college's shift towards a more traditional liberal arts focus.

[36] This move was criticized by some as part of a larger trend of conservatives targeting tenure, particularly for professors perceived to hold liberal views.

[38] Viera-Vargas was also the sole New College professor who had taken legal action, serving as a plaintiff in a lawsuit against SB266, a comprehensive higher education bill from Governor Ron DeSantis that also eliminated arbitration in university employment disputes.

[46] By mid-July 2023, over a third of the existing faculty had left the college, many choosing to resign or take a leave of absence as a direct result of the conservative takeover.

[50] All of the six trustees appointed by DeSantis were eventually confirmed by the Florida Senate except Eddie Speir, a co-founder of a local Christian academy.

[52] In October 2023, when formally announced as New College's new president, Corcoran's total annual compensation of more than $1 million dollars drew scrutiny from media and experts in academic and executive compensation, due to disproportionate excessive pay for the president of a public university with a small student body population.

[54] In August 2024, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported the college dumped hundreds of books from its library and now-defunct Gender and Diversity Center.

According to the newspaper, students were previously allowed to purchase books before they were removed from the college's library, but were not notified this time.

[55] Following the report, the college released a statement claiming the dumping was part of its standard 'weeding' process, and that they were precluded from "selling, donating or transferring these materials", citing Chapter 273 of the Florida Statutes.

[56][57] However, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune pointed out the cited statute explicitly allows New College to dispose of state-funded personal property through sale, donation, or transfer.

[60] Furthermore, the executive director of local activist group Social Equity Through Education Alliance (SEE) alleged officials at New College refused to work with nonprofits or shelters that were willing to bring trucks and rescue the books.

[65] New College president Richard Corcoran issued a statement acknowledging frustration over the book dumping whilst criticizing media coverage.

[66] Christopher Rufo, a member of New College's board of trustees, reposted pictures of the dumped books on Twitter and said: "We abolished the gender studies program.

[67] Two spokespeople for Governor Ron DeSantis also posted statements on Twitter applauding the dumping, with press secretary Jeremy Redfern calling it "putting gender studies books in the garbage" and communications director Bryan Griffin referring to the dumped books as propaganda.

[69][70] The ACLU of Florida criticized the book dumping, referring to it as a "brazen act of censorship" and "direct attack on the voices of LGBTQ+ individuals".

[72] In December 2023, the American Association of University Professors sanctioned New College of Florida for violating standards of academic governance.

"[73] New College's 144-acre (0.58 km2) bayfront campus is located in Sarasota, Florida, approximately 50 mi (80 km) south of Tampa.

The campus also includes the eastern and western portions of a plated subdivision, The Uplands, an incorporated residential neighborhood that is bounded by College Drive to the south and the Seagate property to the north, Sarasota Bay to the west, and Tamiami Trail to the east.

The well-appointed structures date from the early to mid-1920s, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and are similar in style to the adjacent John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art and their residence, Cà d'Zan.

The Jane Bancroft Cook Library is for both New College students and the University of South Florida's Sarasota-Manatee campus.

In 2005, a long range campus master plan was developed through public workshops held by several design teams with participation by students, faculty, administration, residents of the community, and staff members of local governmental agencies.

The system was devised to encourage academic experimentation, self-directed learning, and foster curiosity about disparate topics outside one's usual course of study; it grew out of the school's founding principle, as laid out by Dean and Provost John W. Gustad: "In the last analysis, every student is responsible for his or her own education.

[91] Students of the MS in Applied Data Science program are required to complete a paid practicum during the final semester of their degree.

"Towne Meetings," held monthly, are the main forum for public debate and are open to all students, faculty, and staff.

In 2023 in parallel with the university's academic overhaul, New College joined the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) as a member of the Sun Conference.

Other prominent New College graduates include William Dudley, former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York; Ambassador Nancy McEldowney, National Security Advisor to Vice President Harris; University of Pennsylvania law professor and vice provost Anita L. Allen, named to the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues; the late mathematician and Fields medalist William Thurston; Margee Ensign, current president of Dickinson College and former president of American University of Nigeria; Jennifer Granick, surveillance and cybersecurity counsel at the ACLU and former civil liberties director at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society and the Electronic Frontier Foundation; bestselling author of Getting Things Done David Allen (author); national MSNBC, NBC and Telemundo anchor José Díaz-Balart; founder of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies Rick Doblin; Emmy Award-winning television writer/producer Carol Flint; former U.S. representative Lincoln Díaz-Balart; David M. Smolin, professor of law and director for Cumberland School of Law's Center for Biotechnology, Law, and Ethics; "Mother of Sharks" Melissa Cristina Márquez,[110] a marine biologist and science communicator; Jackie Wang, finalist for the 2021 National Book Award for Poetry; author Malcolm Brenner; and attorney Robert Bilott profiled in the 2019 movie Dark Waters.